Caroline Emmaline “Oaky” Howard (1886 – 1933)

Caroline Emmaline (widely known as “Oaky”) Howard-Hall was born at Bundarra NSW on the 26th of July 1886. She was a 4th generation Australian and a great-great-grand-daughter of Henry and Susannah.

​She married Thomas John Hall in 1904 at Tamworth RC. Thomas John Hall was born on 11/06/1883 in Mooki River and was the nephew of the well-known bushranger Ben Hall and grandson of Benjamin Hall snr and Eliza Somers.

​They lived on their property “Moor Creek” outside of Tamworth until the untimely death of Thomas John on 10/08/1921.

​Caroline is pictured (see below) with her daughters who are in the school uniform of The Armidale school where they were boarders.

Caroline with her daughters Dorothy (left), Florence (middle) and Mary Ann (right). Veronica wasn’t born at the time the photo was taken.

​Caroline died on 03/04/1933 in Tamworth and is buried in the Church of England section of the general cemetery at Tamworth.

Thomas John Hall.

Husband of Caroline “Oaky” (Kable-Teale-Howard) HALL; father to 5 girls – Dorothy, Lilly, Mary Ann, Florence and Veronica (Kitty); son of Edward Hall and Honorah Kennedy (b 1841 Upperchurch Tipperary, daughter of Patrick Kennedy b 1809 Castletown
Kilkenny Ireland, son of Philip Kennedy b 1755 Wexford Ireland and nephew of Ben “Bushranger” Hall.
Thomas was born on 11/06/1883, Mooki River Murbai, via Tamworth and baptised on 06/08/1883 in St. Joseph, Gunnedah. Thomas died on 10/08/1921, Mooki River, Murbai, via Tamworth as a result of gunshot wound maliciously inflicted on him .
So much of family history comes from the stories family members hear, later recall and in turn tell their descendants. Such was the case for me with the stories of my Grandmother “Nanna Lane” Florence Josephine Hall 1907-1992. Florence loved to tell a good yarn “skeletons and all” She related the Ben Hall family links… all true; the JFK family links through Honorah, ”Annie” Kennedy-Hall… almost paperwork connected…
DNA is all that’s missing. However, the saddest recount was the composite stories heard from my mother, Moyah and “Flo.” The story went this way:- as a 14 year old, Flo saw her father shot, while he was inspecting his sheep on supervised agistment at the Cohen property. This incident occurred in a farm paddock and was the consequence of a
disagreement over sheep, which were under the supervision of another man HOOLE. [Following Thomas’ death] his estate was wound up and a sum of money [almost 3000 pounds] was placed in trust for the four surviving daughters. Upon the girl’s maturity, the solicitors trust fund, was found to be substantially diminished with the only significant remaining evidence being realised through the 1970’s sale of their father’s
speculative purchase of several blocks of land at Hawks Nest/Tea Gardens. As
a story, it was one of … REALLY? HOWEVER, with today’s technology [2017]
evidence can be more easily sourced and thus give veracity to this very grave
family yarn.

So at the following NLA TROVE DIGITAL NEWSPAPER links several reports are available which connected the dots in a final ‘yarn” version gathered from, the Coroner’s report of “feloniously and maliciously injuring” and indictment for murder; police charge of Murder; the coroner’s “Dying deposition account” trial one -Guilty! trial 2 Acquitted!